FALLING
BEHIND: Arguably, Toronto is Canada's cultural capital. But
the city has stagnated in recent years. "Almost every U.S.
city of any consequence has been making dramatic and expensive
improvements to its cultural amenities even while Toronto has
opted for retrenchment and inertness - counting too heavily on a
reputation for comparative cultural sophistication that now seems
shaky and outdated."Toronto Star
04/15/01

CULTURE
ENVY: You can't tell the players without a scorecard.
Here's what American cities have been investing in culture
compared to Toronto.Toronto Star
04/15/01

ROADMAP:
What Toronto ought to do to pull out of its cultural dive.Toronto Star 04/15/01

LOSING
ARTISTIC CAPITAL: Ottawa is losing its artists at an alarming
rate. Canada's capitol city spends far less on the arts than the
country's other major cities, and its sparse facilities are often
in disrepair. A new report sounds the alarm. Ottawa
Citizen 04/10/01

ON
AMERICAN CULTURAL DOMINANCE: An international summit on arts
and culture hears Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien say US
cultural dominance can be fought by being aware of one's cultural
roots. Many of the delegates from 60 countries dispute the
message: "You can't stop the transmission of U.S. culture, so
it needs to be regulated."Ottawa
Citizen 12/03/00

WORLD
ARTS CONFERENCE: A major international conference with
delegates from 60 countries has gathered in Ottawa to talk about
protecting "the vitality of many of the world's cultures
which are currently threatened by the dominance of U.S. popular
culture, and a globalizing economy which is turning national
cultures into commercial commodities."The
Globe & Mail (Canada) 12/01/00

CANADIAN
PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES CONFERENCE: "Some people think
because of the power of communication, the American culture is a
problem around the globe. It's not a problem, as long as every
nation finds a way to make sure that people are comfortable with
themselves, they know who they are, they know their roots and
they work to have their arts and culture well inside of
themselves."The Globe &
Mail (Canada) 12/01/00

WHAT
DOES EUROPE KNOW ABOUT ART? "Cultural protectionism is in
vogue throughout Europe, evidence of a growing fear that the
continent's old national cultures are under threat. The EU's role
is significant. Although it claims to act benignly, serving as a
mere facilitator of culture, its policies display somewhat
different, culturally integrationist aims. It believes in the
propagation of an official European culture."The
Telegraph (London) 12/16/00

PROTECTING
DIVERSITY: Delegates to an international cultural conference
in Greece have decided to form the International Network for
Cultural Diversity. The organization will endeavor to protect
local cultures. "We want this to be a legal and enforceable
agreement that will give countries the ability to support culture
and diversity and to stand up to trade measures that are
infringing on their cultural sovereignty."
CBC 09/29/00

OUR
AMERICAN COUSINS: Americans are big players in London's
current cultural boom. "Today, as London is seeing the
greatest cultural expansion in its history — a $600 million
millennium effort financed partly by England's national lottery
and partly by private donations — a list of many of the largest
donors reads like a Who's Who of American philanthropy. New
galleries, courtyards, libraries, reading rooms and additions are
being christened with names like Annenberg and Sackler."
New York Times 09/28/00 (one-time
registration required for entry)

CULTURAL
AUSTRALIA: "Australian culture is for the most part
deeply democratic, and joyously so as well. It is no longer
"provincial", a distant and nervous response to norms
generated in imperial centres. It is the result of a bloodless and
slow-developing social revolution conducted over 40 years as a
small society grew larger and immeasurably more complex, shook off
its sense of derivative Englishness and its fear of American
domination, and learned to trust its own talents."
The Guardian 09/18/00

FIGHTING
FOR CULTURE: In the so-you-can-rest-easier department, isn't
it nice to know that NATO is protecting our interests in culture
as well as in the skies? "The aim of NATOarts is to advance
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s goals in the cultural
realm. There was also a feeling that an organization such as NATO
should take a more proactive role in the formation of
international culture."New York
Press 09/06/00

SUCCESSFUL
CULTURES: Do the values of a culture determine its economic
success? A new book offers 22 various scholars and authors
debating whether the cultural aspects of a people make a
difference in their level of economic development.Boston
Globe 08/20/00

ENTERTAINMENT"
BAN: Canadian news and documentary crews say that for the past
two years American immigration officers have made it difficult for
them to get into the US. Many crews have been denied entry.
"Officials in the U.S. say they are enforcing a policy which
allows them to bar foreign film crews who want to shoot
'commercial entertainment' in the US But Canadians say the policy
is being widely used to delay film crews working on 'information
programs.' "CBC
07/16/00

FEARS
OF CULTURAL INVASION: A
recent decision by the Korean government to open its door to
Japanese culture have put the "local industries concerned on
alert." The biggest causes for alarm appear to be pop
music, software games, television...and "Japanimations" -
several of which already have "cult" followings in
Korea. Korea Times 06/29/00

PRETTY
GOOD, EH?Canadian
artists are invading Berlin and giving premieres and winning
awards. "Why this sudden cultural blossoming from a nation
generally assumed to be locked in snow, overridden with grizzly
bears and obsessed with hockey? The Canadian government announced
in February that the budget of Berlin's cultural section will
increase fivefold in the upcoming year. From a pittance of less
than forty thousand Canadian dollars last year, Canadian culture
in Germany will now be supported at a "top priority"
level. With the German capital's move to Berlin, Canada now has
the opportunity to perform on stages that are at the center of
much of the world's attention. An opportunity it is taking." Die
Welt 05/08/00

CULTURAL
INVESTMENT: Korea plans major investments in its cultural
infrastructure to reshape the country's cultural profile over the
next ten years. Plans include a massive new cultural center for
Seoul. Korea
Herald 02/23

Films outside
the US

THE
FAILING FRENCH: In the 50s, 60s and 70s French cinema was a
vibrant art that caught the world's attention. No more. The industry
is in the doldrums. "Last year, for the first time in history,
the share of French films at the domestic box office dropped below
30 per cent - and at the same time, it's getting harder to export
French cinema."The Telegraph
(London) 03/24/01

CHINESE
CINEMA LANGUISHES AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD: "Chinese cinema has
come into the media spotlight in the wake of Taiwanese director Ang
Lee's martial arts box office smash 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon.' But while Chinese directors in Hong Kong and Taiwan have
wooed international markets with a vision of China gone by, mainland
cinema is in the doldrums and getting progressively worse."China Times (Taiwan) 03/19/01

MAD
FOR MOVIES: The audience for movies in Korea grew by 12 percent
last year. But that audience wasn't wild about the home team.
"The audience share of Korean films decreased 3.2 percent to
32.6 percent, with foreign films attracting 67.4 percent of the
audience."Korea Times 02/28/01

VISIBLY
CANADIAN: A number of Canadian films are losing funding from a
government fund set up to support Canadian films. The reason?
They've been judged not Canadian enough. This year the fund
introduced a ranking system judging their Canadianness, based on a
system of points. One filmmaker denied funding says: "You
couldn't get more Canadian unless you dressed in Canadian flags. I'm
aghast at these new guidelines. It's a reason to leave Canadian
filmmaking altogether."National Post 06/06/00

HOME
FIELD (DIS)ADVANTAGE:
Heralded as the rebirth of the martial-arts epic, "Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has wowed audiences all over the world -
everywhere, that it, except Hong Kong. "It might look exotic to
foreign audiences but it has been done before, and better, in other
Hong Kong films."China
Times 2/15/01

TRANSATLANTIC
ENVY:
British film and media types are quick to criticize Hollywood fare
as "too bland, too formulaic, too predictable, too dumb. If
only, the argument goes, we had such resources: our films - edgy,
relevant, cool and British - would surely sweep the world. But it's
inescapable that America has the most diverse, intriguing and
professional film culture of any country in the world. Their breadth
and range shames our admittedly small film industry, which is
obsessed by gangsters and clubbing." The
Telegraph (London) 10/31/00

DOWN
ON FILM DOWN UNDER:
Why does the Australian film industry seem to be perennially in a
state of crisis, in fear of cutbacks and dwindling audiences? And
what exactly is the critic’s role in helping create a thriving
local film culture? According to one critic, "they have a duty
to make a positive contribution to film culture - otherwise, they
are basically just glorified PR agents for the major movie
corporations. Mainstream cinema is blinkered and amnesiac: it
pretends that what's on screen, in the here and now, is all there
is. Too many critics accept this pathetic reduction of cinema as
their sole field of operations." The
Age (Melbourne) 10/30/00

AND
LITTLE PRAISE FOR THREE DECADES OF BRITISH FILM:
As the London Film Festival opens this week, the first in a
four-part series on the state of British film over the last 30
years. Don’t look here for aggrandizing praise. "British film
has for the most part been second-rate, the culture of film-makers
has been undernourished, the cinema-going public has been too shy of
invention, and, without the brilliant, redeeming system of
television funding and production in this country, British film
would be dead in the water." The
Telegraph (London) 10/30/00

SHOW
ME THE MONEY: In India, where the average income is about $215 a
year, the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be A
Millionaire" has become a wild hit. "Streets are half
deserted when 'KBC' comes on, suddenly it's easy to get a seat at
late evening movies, pubs in some cities say business has been hit,
and bookshops are packed with books to guide you through the quiz
programme."The Times of India
09/26/00

BOLLYWOOD
v. HOLLYWOOD:
As exported Indian movies get increasingly sophisticated (no longer
just those epic musical romances), they are becoming big draws in
Britain and are giving Hollywood a run for its money at the box
office. Three Bollywood productions recently entered the UK’s
top-10 list, and cinema chains showing Indian flicks are opening up
all over Britain. The
Age (Melbourne) 06/19/00

ARE
THEY SCREENING GLADIATOR? The Berlin International Film
Festival, which opened this week, seems to be struggling to find
German films to screen as part of its main competition. Europe at
large is well-represented, as is the U.S. But most of the German
features have been relegated to the smaller side shows, and the
festival continues to be dominated by Hollywood.Boston
Globe (AP) 02/09/01

HOLLYWOOD
EAST? India already has the biggest film industry in the world.
Now it is "riding a growing wave of television, internet and
computer animation technologies along with an expanding
international audience to become a potential alternative to its
State-side big brother, Hollywood." New
Zealand Herald (Reuters)
04/19/00

Production
outside Hollywood

PUMP
EM UP, MOVE EM OUT: Vancouver is the third-largest film-making
city in the world (after Los Angeles and New York), and the
second-largest TV-series factory. About $1.8 billion is spent on
making movies there. But here's a secret no one talks about: they're
almost all bad movies. The reason - the cheap Canadian dollar lures
cheap, mediocre productions.Ottawa
Citizen 03/12/01

..BUT
HOW MANY CANADIANS HAVE SEEN IT? Canadian films account for only
two percent of the Candian box office gross. Why? No big-name stars.
Tiny promotional budgets. And that movie juggernaut to the South.
One frustrated film maker says, "[N]o civilization.. has
survived without protecting its culture. If we want this one to
survive, we have to, too."National
Post (Canada) 01/29/01

TORONTO'S
BIG MOVIE PLANS: "Despite an 87 per cent growth rate over
the past five years, Toronto ranks second to Vancouver in terms of
film production." That's why a new mega-studio proposed by
Toronto's mayor is controversial.CBC
11/12/00

RUNAWAY
FILM: A new report says that the number of film and video
productions leaving Hollywood to be shot elsewhere is increasing.
"It cites one study showing domestic production of made-for-TV
movies declined by more than 33% in the last six years, while
production at foreign locations rose 55%."Variety
01/19/01

WHY
ARE MOVIE PRODUCTIONS LEAVING HOLLYWOOD FOR OTHER COUNTRIES?
"These countries are offering an ever-growing list of financial
incentives to U.S. producers in an effort to build their own
production capacity and increase their share of the worldwide
production industry. There is no "free market" at
work here. Other countries, recognizing the value of film and
television production to their future economic health, are virtually
bribing U.S. producers to make their films and TV series outside the
United States."
Los Angeles Times 10/09/00

PRODUCTION
DOWN: Some parts of the film production business in Los Angeles
are down as much as 30 percent this year, and the business is in a
big slump.
Inside.com 10/09/00

HOLLYWOOD
NORTH? The betting now is that Hollywood will be paralyzed by
strikes next year as writers, actors and directors all negotiate new
contracts. Will that stop the insatiable worldwide demand for
entertainment? Not hardly. Much of the production figures to head
north. "In Toronto and Vancouver, the main English-language
production centres, directors, actors, technicians, casting agents
and craft industries are already experiencing an unprecedented boom
in demand - and reaping the dividends of Hollywood's woes."The Globe and Mail 10/05/00

COMMERCIAL
PRODUCTION TO CANADA: The actors strike in the US against
producers of commercials has been a boon to the Canadian production
industry as producers head north to get their projects done. CBC
07/27/00

MOVIE
INVESTIGATION ICED UNTIL AFTER ELECTION:This spring, US presidential
candidate Al Gore launched an investigation into why so many movie
productions are heading north to Canada. Now completion of the
report has been delayed because of potential political
ramifications. If the report attacks Canadian tax incentives to the
movie industry, "state incentives (in the United States) may be
vulnerable under international trade rules, just as (states) would
argue that what Canada is doing is vulnerable under international
trade rules.Toronto
Star 07/06/00

FLEEING
NORTH: "This is a record-breaking year for Hollywood films
shot in Canada, entertainment-industry figures on both sides of the
border agree. In past years, U.S. producers have taken advantage of
the weak dollar to shoot low-budget feature films and made-for-TV
movies in Canadian cities. This year, though, the studios have
brought their big projects north and a long list of marquee-topping
stars such as Sean Connery, Christina Ricci and Robert de Niro."
Toronto
Globe and Mail 07/03/00

HOLLYWOOD
BEWARE:
Indian movies are being taken more seriously internationally than
ever before, and are carving out a wider non-Indian audience.
"The fact that Hindi films are appearing more often on the UK
and US charts and the regular stage shows have made the world sit up
and take notice." Times
of India 06/30/00

TRUE
NORTH: A new survey shows that more than a third of the 161
films shot in North America in 1999 were filmed in Canada.
Productions in search of lower costs were "blamed" for the
exodus of work from Hollywood.CBC
06/26/00

PULLING
BACK FROM A RECORD YEAR: Last year
was the best ever for the Korean film industry. The country produced
its top blockbuster of all time, earned record revenues at the box
office, and this year sent five films to the Cannes Festival,
including Korea's first-ever to the main competition. But this year
the number of tickets sold to domestic films plunged from 3.94
million last year to 2.52 million this year. Korea
Herald 06/22/00

AND
AUTORI:
Italian film lovers are bemoaning the fact that not a single Italian
film was selected in the main competition at Cannes this year -
reflecting the absence of a new generation of filmmakers to rival
the postwar greats Fellini, De Sica, and Passolini. “Italians are
talking again, as they have been off and on for 30 years, about the
"crisis" of cinema, a word usually reserved for falling
governments and train strikes.”New
York Times 05/25/00(one-time
registration required for entry)

SUBVERSIVE
SCOTS:
Scottish filmmaking is enjoying a renaissance, with more than 5
films by Scots to be released in the next 5 weeks - many linked by
unconventional plots and narratives. “Ultimately, it is this
subversive streak that unites so many Scottish film directors,
whether they are making films about oil magnates, public schoolboys,
London gangsters, or Hebridean islanders determined to outwit the
English Home Guard captain and make off with the whisky.” The
Herald (Glasgow) 05/25/00

FIGHTING
US MOVIES: South Korean filmmakers call for an international
coalition to break the domination of Hollywood internationally. They
"urged governments to resist what they say is the United
States' attempts to use free trade treaties to expand the reach of
American movies," echoing sentiments expressed last week in
Cannes by French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.CBC
05/17/00

RAISON
D'ETAT! At the Cannes opening ceremony, French Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin urged European film companies to fight Hollywood
domination by creating European-centered film groups. He promised
the French government would do more to promote foreign cinema.
“Besides the cultural dimension, cinematographic diversity is also
important for democracy. It is not just an image that cinema
projects onto the big screen. It is a vision, a vision of
society." Times
of India 05/12/00 (Reuters)